U.S. patent number 5,505,307 [Application Number 08/244,956] was granted by the patent office on 1996-04-09 for insulated storage cooler.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Auto-Shade, Inc.. Invention is credited to Joseph M. Shink.
United States Patent |
5,505,307 |
Shink |
April 9, 1996 |
Insulated storage cooler
Abstract
An insulated cooler which can be mounted to the floor of an
automobile and provides access to open beverage containers. The
cooler includes an insulated box which has a front wall separated
from a back wall by a pair of side walls. The front, back and side
walls are attached to a bottom wall that together define an inner
cavity. The insulated cooler also has a top cover adapted to
enclose the inner cavity of the box. The insulated box is small
enough to be placed between the driver and front passenger of an
automobile. The cooler has a strip of hook and loop material which
can secure the bottom wall of the box to the carpet of the car.
Additionally, the top cover has a pair of apertures adapted to
receive beverage containers. The apertures may be covered by a flap
which can be fastened to either the front or back walls of the
box.
Inventors: |
Shink; Joseph M. (Valencia,
CA) |
Assignee: |
Auto-Shade, Inc. (Moorpark,
CA)
|
Family
ID: |
34798318 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/244,956 |
Filed: |
August 8, 1994 |
PCT
Filed: |
October 14, 1992 |
PCT No.: |
PCT/US92/08777 |
371
Date: |
August 08, 1994 |
102(e)
Date: |
August 08, 1994 |
PCT
Pub. No.: |
WO94/08854 |
PCT
Pub. Date: |
April 28, 1994 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/541;
206/545 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60N
3/103 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B60N
3/10 (20060101); A45C 011/20 () |
Field of
Search: |
;206/541,542,545,549,548,236,242,260 ;220/252,412,259,254 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Hilliard; Thomas P.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Blakely Sokoloff Taylor &
Zafman
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A storage container that can be attached to an external mounting
surface, comprising:
an insulated box having a front wall separated from a back wall by
a pair of side walls, said front, back and side walls being
attached to a bottom wall which together define an inner cavity,
said insulated box further having a top cover adapted to enclose
said inner cavity, said top cover having an aperture that provides
access to said inner cavity;
a flap attached to said top cover and adapted to cover said
aperture;
first attachment means for attaching said flap to said front
wall;
second attachment means for attaching said flap to said back
wall;
an attachment strip attached to said bottom wall, said attachment
strip being adapted to attach said insulated box to the external
mounting surface; and
a zipper which can attach said top cover to said front and side
walls.
2. A storage container that can be attached to an external mounting
surface, comprising:
an insulated box having a front wall separated from a back wall by
a pair of side walls, said front, back and side walls being
attached to a bottom wall which together define an inner cavity,
said insulated box further having a top cover adapted to enclose
said inner cavity, said top cover having an aperture that provides
access to said inner cavity;
a flap attached to said top cover and adapted to cover said
aperture;
first attachment means for attaching said flap to said front
wall;
second attachment means for attaching said flap to said back wall;
and,
an attachment strip attached to said bottom wall, said attachment
strip being adapted to attach said insulated box to the external
mounting surface and wherein said attachment means and said
attachment strip are constructed from hook and loop material.
3. A storage container that can be attached to an external mounting
surface, comprising:
an insulated box having a front wall separated from a back wall by
a pair of side walls, said front, back and side walls being
attached to a bottom wall which together define an inner cavity,
said insulated box further having a top cover adapted to enclose
said inner cavity, said top cover having an aperture that provides
access to said inner cavity;
a zipper adapted to attach said top cover to said front and side
walls of said insulated box;
a dividing wall attached to said side walls to divide said inner
cavity into a first chamber and a second chamber;
a riser wall attached to said front and side walls and separated
from said bottom wall;
a pouch attached to said front wall;
a handle attached to said back wall;
a flap attached to said top cover and adapted to cover said
aperture;
first attachment means for attaching said flap to said front
wall;
second attachment means for attaching said flap to said back wall;
and,
an attachment strip attached to said bottom wall, said attachment
strip being adapted to attach said insulated box to the external
mounting surface.
4. The container as recited in claim 3, wherein said attachment
means and said attachment strip are constructed from hook and loop
material.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an insulated storage bag.
2. Description of Related Art
When traveling on extended car trips it is sometimes desirable to
have access to food and beverages. Storing food in the passenger
compartment of an automobile typically requires the use of an
insulated cooler. Most coolers are typically rigid and bulky, and
require a large amount of floor space within the car. Such coolers
may occupy a whole seat or floor mat, thereby taking up valuable
passenger space. It would therefore be desirable to have a cooler
which can fit between the driver and front passenger of an
automobile. It would also be desirable if such a cooler would
provide ready access to open beverage containers being consumed by
the driver and/or passengers of the car.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,679,242 issued to Brockhaus discloses an insulated
cooler which can be collapsed into a flat position, so that the
device can be used as a seat cushion. Although the Brockhaus cooler
can be collapsed into a compact container for storage, the expanded
cooler is still too large to fit between the driver and front
passenger of a car. Additionally, the Brockhaus cooler will not
hold open beverage containers.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,085,612 issued to Gobel discloses a container
assembly which has a bottle holder that can be attached to a
container. Like the Brockhaus cooler, the Gobel container is
impractical to use in the front seat of a car. Additionally,
neither Brockhaus or Gobel disclose a container which can be
readily mounted to the car, so that the cooler and contents do not
move while the vehicle is being operated. It would therefore be
desirable to have a portable insulated cooler which can be readily
mounted to the floor of a car and provide access to open beverage
containers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is an insulated cooler which can be mounted
to the floor of an automobile and provides access to open beverage
containers. The cooler includes an insulated box which has a front
wall separated from a back wall by a pair of side walls. The front,
back and side walls are attached to a bottom wall that together
define an inner cavity. The insulated cooler also has a top cover
adapted to enclose the inner cavity of the box. The insulated box
is small enough to be placed between the driver and front passenger
of an automobile. The insulated cooler has a strip of hook and loop
material which can secure the bottom wall of the box to the floor
carpet of the car, to prevent the contents of the cooler from
tipping and spilling.
The top cover has a pair of apertures adapted to receive beverage
containers. The apertures may be covered by a flap which can be
fastened to either the front or back walls of the box. The present
invention therefore provides an insulated cooler which can be
placed between the driver and passenger of a car, so that the
occupants can consume food and beverages stored by the container.
The attachment of the cooler to the carpet of the car also prevents
undesired spilling when the automobile is operated.
Therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide an
insulated cooler which can be placed between the driver and
passenger of an automobile.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an
insulated cooler which can hold beverage containers.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an
insulated cooler which can be readily attached to the floor of an
automobile.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The objects and advantages of the present invention will become
more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after
reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying
drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an insulated cooler of the present
invention;
FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the cooler of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a rear view of the cooler of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to the drawings more particularly by reference numbers,
FIG. 1 shows a storage container 10 of the present invention. The
storage container 10 is typically constructed to be small enough to
be placed on the floor of an automobile between the driver and the
front passenger of the car. The container 10 has an insulated box
12 which has a front wall 14 separated from a back wall 16 by a
pair of side walls 18. The front 14, back 16 and side 18 walls are
all attached to a bottom wall 20. The front 14, back 16, bottom 20
and side 18 walls define an inner cavity 22. The cooler 10 is
typically constructed from a foam insulating material that is
encapsulated by a fabric material on the outside of the box and a
water proof reflective material on the inside of the box.
The box 12 has a top cover 24 attached to the back wall 16 and a
zipper 26 that can attach the cover 24 to the front 14 and side 18
walls. The top cover 24 has a pair of apertures 28 that are
constructed to provide clearance for beverage containers that can
be inserted into the cooler 10. The apertures 28 may be covered by
a flap 30 that is attached to the top cover 24. The flap 30 can be
secured in a closed position by a first strip of loop material 32
which is attached to a first strip of hook material 34 attached to
the front wall 14 of the box 12. The flap 30 can be secured in an
open position by attaching the loop material 32 to a second strip
of hook material 36 located on the back wall 16 of the box 12. The
flap 30 completely encloses the inner cavity 22 of the box 12 when
beverage containers are not inserted into the apertures 28.
Although hook and loop material is shown and described, it is to be
understood that the flap 30 can be secured to either the front 14
or back 16 walls by any fastening means.
In the preferred embodiment, the box 12 has a divider wall 38 which
divides the inner cavity 22 into a first chamber 40 and a second
chamber 42. The first chamber 42 is typically constructed to hold
food or non-opened beverage containers. The first chamber 40 is
preferably large enough to hold a six-pack of beverage containers.
The second chamber 42 houses the beverage containers that are
inserted through the apertures 28. The second chamber 42 preferably
contains a riser 44 attached to the box 12 and separated from the
bottom wall 20. The riser 44 is located above the bottom wall 20 so
that portions of the open beverage containers remain above the top
cover 24. The riser 44 allows the user to easily grab and remove
the containers. In the preferred embodiment, the riser 44 is
constructed to be removable, so that the user can increase the
storage space of the second chamber 42.
As shown in FIG. 2, the box 12 has a second strip of loop material
46 attached to the bottom wall 20. The loop material 46 is adapted
to become attached to carpet material such as the floor carpet of
an automobile. The attachment strip 46 prevents the cooler 10 and
contents from falling over and spilling when the automobile is
being operated, particularly when the car is turning around a
corner, or driving over bumps. The loop material 46 also provides a
means for connecting the insulated cooler to the car, so that the
cooler and contents can be easily detached and transported to
another location.
As shown in FIG. 3, the box 12 may have a handle 48 attached to the
back wall 16, which allows the user to easily carry the cooler 10.
The cooler 10 may also have a pouch 50 attached to the front wall
14 of the box 12. The pouch 50 is preferably constructed to hold a
pack of cigarettes or other relatively small items such as a remote
control. What is thus provided is an insulated cooler which can be
attached to the floor of an automobile between the driver and front
passenger, and which can provide access to food items and open
beverage containers.
While certain exemplary embodiments have been described and shown
in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such
embodiments are merely illustrative of and not restrictive on the
broad invention, and that this invention not be limited to the
specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since
various other modifications may occur to those ordinarily skilled
in the art.
* * * * *